Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-06-10
TlG Bohemian Oats SWiIdIG.
A TRICK BY WHICH PENNSYLVANIA
FARMERS HAVE BEEN sWINDLED
OUT OF S500,000.

a Carise correspondent Of the
I Philadelphia Press states that "the
whole Cumberland Valley, the gar
den spot of southwestern Pennsyl-
vauia, is threatened with financial
blight" This threatened blight
grows ont Of "the Bohemian oats
swindle," and the correspondent
states that sin the three counties
now threatened with blight Cum-
berland, Franklin and Adams
there are at least 1000 farmers,
and in many townships 90 per cent.
of them have been drawn into a
scheme which will soon collapse,
as did the Mississippi bubble. A
low estimate places the sum OF
which the Bohemian oats sharpers
have already drained the three
counties at S5O0,0OO" The cores.
pondent of the Press continues:
"The Bohemian oats swindle has
two chief characteristics. 1t ap.
peals to the avarice, and it makes
its every victim fellow-conspira-
tor for its success. The method of
the swindle is simple, but inge-
nious. He approaches in the fall
OF the year farmer a, who has
been carefully selected for his pros
perity and reputation for integrity.
The swiDdler tells farmer A that
he has for sale a new kind Of seed
oats of marvellous quality. He
offers to sell a ten bushels of this
cereal wonder at go bushel. A
is aghast at such a price. He has
never heard of more than 30 or 40
cents a bushel for oats before. But
the swindler replies: 'Oh, you can
make lots of money out Of it.
You can give me your note for
800 for the ten bushels. Sow the
oats, and next fall will sell for
you twenty bushels of your crop at
$40. That will be 5000. You will
get your 800 back and 500 profit,
out of which you must pay me %
per cent. commission, leaving You
$40 net profit
"The farmer never heard Of max
ing 80 much money out Of so few
oats before. In some cases the
swindler even offers to buy the en-
tire crop of the ter bushels OF seed
at Sc per bushel. To prove his
sincerity the swindler exhibits a
blank contract, fiashily printed in
red and blue ink, which he fills up
and signs, agreeing to purchase
the crop at sc bushel.
"Farmer A is enticed into this
beautiful scheme. He gives his
note and receives ten bushels OF
oats and the above contract proper
" filed ont and signed by the
swindIer. When the following fall
comes and the crop is gathered the
swlndler punctually fulflls his en-
gagement. 1t is by no means his
wish to appear in his true light
yet. He is working for bigger
game. If he has agreed to take
the entire crop he does so. II he
has agreed to buy twenty bushels
he does that. Then he calls upon
the farmer to go among his neigh
bors aud bear testimony to the
swindler's square dealing and to
the splendid opportunity offered OF
selling oats at fabulous price
The neighbors, having every con-
fidence in A, who probably believes
all his praises of the smooth
tongued stranger, readily buy AS
whole crop from the swindler IL
small lots of ten, twenty, or fifty
bushels. The swindler gets th'
cash if he can. IF not, he takes
Farmer BIS not, made payable TO
Farmer A. If, for example, he has
sold B ten bushels lie gets BIS nOt'
r tor 800, payable to \. This HI
/ carries to A, who accepts BIS not
and pays the swindler S25 IN casl
\ as the commission agreed upon
3 These farmers are all men owning
4 acres of unencumbered land and
other property. Their notes ar'
4 perfectly good. The banks cal
them 'gilt-edged," and discount
r them readily.
Q "When the third year come
g around, the swindlers do not com
d back, unless they think they ca
!, find enough victims to buy th
g crops of the second years set Q
o dupes. OF course this process
d might be kept up for severa
|. years, but the second year usuall
J, sees all the swindlers' contracts dis
?, honOred, the bubble burst, an
8 thousands Of farmers pushed t
- the wall to meet the notes the
n have gwen, and which are by tha
II time in possession of the count
d banks or OF lesser spectators l
v paper. This swindle originated !
a Ohio, and after being driven out
= that State has, within the last fe
ii years, invaded Pennsylvania
d Centre county has already bee
r heavily raided. Berks county hf
suffered. The Cumberland Vale
is fast nearing the end of the C
lamitous craze, aud the sharper
d are preparing to attack York coul
1t ty, and also Elk, Indiana, an
n Beaver counties"
er An End 10 Bone Scraping.